What next for Roger Nsengiyumva?

Roger with his mother Illuminee

The spotlight is firmly on one of the stars of the new hit film, Africa United.

Roger Nsengiyumva was studying for his GCSEs at CNS when he was called to audition for the movie.

His picture is now on the side of London buses, as the film described by many as “the next Slumdog Millionaire” goes on general release. 

So what next for the teenage film star?

Despite studying GCSE drama, the former CNS student had never acted before the call came to audition for the film Africa United. Many of his co-stars in the new hit film were entirely new to acting too. Since filming ended, he’s been cast in the lead role of a 2 part BBC drama - Homirid – due to be shown this Christmas, and he’s keen for it not to stop there: “Getting acting jobs, especially when you’re not that well known, is really hard, so it’s pretty crazy that I’ve landed two already.”

With two acting roles under his belt, Roger Nsengiyumva is planning to continue his studies at City College, rather than applying to drama school: “I would love to finish the course but I would absolutely love another role. When I got the part in the BBC drama I was quite worried, thinking maybe I was only good for one role as I’ve never acted before. I was thinking, how am I going to do this, but I was very pleased to get the go-ahead and work alongside experienced actors.”

The teenager, who attended Heigham Park First and Avenue Middle Schools before going on to CNS, is grateful to the headteacher at City of Norwich School, Jim Nixon, for giving him permission to take part in the 10 week filming in Rwanda, South Africa and Burundi. While there the young actors had school on set, which he says was: “insanely hard work, combining filming scenes with schoolwork.”

He was spotted for the role in Africa United after the producer saw an article about his mother’s book in a local magazine. His mother Illimunee, wrote the book Miracle in Kingali, about her experiences after she fled Rwanda, with the help of local author Paul Dickson. Roger says, while she was worried at first knowing he’d be filming abroad, she’s now getting used to seeing his face on the side of London buses.

The teenage star watched the film twice this weekend, first with a group of 60 friends and then again with his family: “What was odd was at the premiere at the Odeon in London, with 800 odd people in the cinema. They gave it a standing ovation in London as well as in Toronto.” “The last thing I want to do is become big-headed. I’ve still got my feet firmly on the ground.”